The leaders of Muslim community and religious organizations signed a joint document on December 11, 2017 - The Social Concept of Muslims in Ukraine. At a solemn meeting, representatives of Islamic organizations spoke about the history of this document.

The ruins of the old church in the district center of Rozhische in Volyn have become the subject of controversy between the Protestants and the Orthodox. The temple was built in the nineteenth century by the Baptists, “the Soviets” expropriated and placed manufacturing plants in the church.

Web-conference on-line

Expert thought

… the Moscow Patriarchate is busy both in Ukraine and the outside world agitating against such a grant of autocephaly to the UOC-KP and the UAOC, which it regards as schismatic. But its ability to influence world Orthodoxy is limited…

Religious Studies

The history evidences: the Local Churches that were historically associated with earthly empires were uninterested in the canonical establishment of local churches under their jurisdictions, and therefore usually granted autocephaly to churches only under the pressure of historic circumstances. No exception is the Moscow Patriarchate, which has incorporated the Orthodox Church in Ukraine since 1686.

Ukrainian Orthodoxy and Ukrainian society suffer from division. The majority of Ukrainian Orthodox believers belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. The rest of the Orthodox community of Ukraine has chosen a different path of self-proclaimed autocephaly. However, neither the first nor the second path is optimal for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine to date.

President’s Appeal to Ecumenical Patriarch made public

The draft Resolution (Registration No. 8284) to support the appeal of the President of Ukraine to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on granting the Tomos on autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine has been registered on the Ukrainian Parliament’s website.

The document was filed on behalf of a number of MPs from different factions. The initiators were Andriy Paruby, Iryna Gerashchenko, Oksana Syroyd, Arthur Gerasimov, Maxim Bourbak, Andriy Teteruk, Oleg Lyashko, Iryna Lutsenko, Oleg Berezyuk and Yulia Tymoshenko.

In the explanatory memo MPs remind that a similar appeal from the Parliament was already adopted in June 2016. However, the MPs point out that from that since then both the external circumstances have changed (the Pan-Orthodox Council in Crete has taken place), as well as the internal ones (public demand for the one autocephalous Ukrainian Church has increased).

The parliamentarians also reiterated the propaganda-related activities and “support for Russian military intervention in the East of our country.” The MPs consider the Tomos to be a long-awaited document, which is “an act of profound historical justice.” It is anticipated that the adoption of the Resolution and granting of the Tomos will foster the religious freedom in Ukraine as well as interfaith peace, improving the rights and freedoms of citizens.

The website of the Ukrainian Parliament has already made public the presidential address. Poroshenko stresses that the Ecumenical Patriarch is the only person in the world who has a canonical right and legitimate authority to resolve this kind of question.

As reported, yesterday, April 17, the President of Ukraine met with representatives of parliamentary factions in the Ukrainian Parliament and announced his intention to submit an appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant autocephalous status to Ukrainian churches. Petro Poroshenko also called on parliamentarians to support his appeal and adopt the relevant parliamentary resolution.

APPEAL

President of Ukraine to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on granting the Tomos of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine

Your All-Holiness!

Christ is Risen!

I appeal to Your All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch and the leader of the Orthodox world.

Being the head of the state of Ukraine, who represents its citizens, including those belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox community, which thanks to the baptism received from the Mother Church of Constantinople 1030 years ago, profess the Orthodox Christian faith - I am asking you to grant the Tomos of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

This long-awaited document will become not only the triumph of Orthodoxy, but also an act of profound historical justice, because it is from the Constantinople that the light of the Christian faith was poured into our blessed land.

This long-awaited document will further strengthen religious freedom in Ukraine and interconfessional peace, strengthen the rights and freedoms of citizens.

This document will bring to the new level the respect and authority of the Ecumenical Patriarch among Ukrainians.

Your All-Holiness, You are the only person in the world who has the canonical right and the legitimate power to resolve this kind of question.

Our entire nation looks at you with reverence and hope, because it is in your power to give us the unity, peace and consent that we need so much and which we have been deprived of for so long.

Your blessing, as well as the charter given to our Ukrainian Church, will complete the establishment of the independence and autonomy of Ukraine in the spiritual dimension.

Again, as before, we will owe this to the Mother Church and personally to You, Your All-Holiness.

I hope and believe that you, as wise and just pastor, will not refuse us the blessing and long-awaited act of benevolence to your spiritual children, Ukrainians, faithful to our Mother Church.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration for You, fidelity to Orthodoxy and devotion to the Mother Church.